New standardized testing draws support and criticism

The Texas Association of Business joined the squabble over a new accountability system for students in public schools by purchasing a full-page ad in the Austin American Statesman today in support of end-of-course requirements that will be phased in starting this spring.

Bill Hammond, President of Texas Association of Business

The ad urges school administrators, parents and legislators to stand firmly by a bill passed in 2009 that established new, more rigorous testing requirements – the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) for grades 3-8 and end-of-course (EOC) exams for high school students.

“Texas must advance – not retreat – from the bipartisan, smart-minded education reforms passed unanimously in 2009,” the ad reads. “If we do not deliver a quality education system that prepares our students for college and careers, Texas’ ability to attract new business, improve our economy and maintain our competitiveness will surely falter.”

The STAAR test replaces the TAKS test and places greater emphasis on college readiness, according to the Texas Education Agency’s website.

Like the TAKS, the STAAR will test students on core subjects of mathematics, science, reading, writing and social studies. Unlike the TAKS, the new test will have a time limit of four hours.

As part of the same new accountability system, high school students are required to pass 12 EOC exams in core subjects. The tests will account for 15 percent of a student’s final grade for the course, but local school districts will determine calculations for final grades and class rankings.

The first EOC exams administered last year suggest students and teachers will have a rough start with the new requirements.

Of the nearly 102,000 students who took the Algebra I EOC exam in 2010, only 57 percent passed.

Opponents of the new system say there are not enough resources – particularly after large budget cuts to public education in the 2011 legislative session – for students to be adequately prepared for the more rigorous tests.

Many parents have expressed their concern with the tests accounting for the student’s final grade, saying it will hinder their child’s chances of being accepted to a university.

The TAB disputes criticisms of the new system in their ad by saying opponents are “concerned that the results will show a Texas public school system that’s underperforming and failing our students.”